16 Weeks Already!...And Still Counting!!

Happy 4 Months Bump! Well, I was hoping to surprise you all with the news that we are having either a precious little girl or boy but Dr. Spoon is teaching Matt and I some patience and making us wait two more weeks!! Our prenatal appointment this last week was somewhat uneventful, but as they say, no news is good news. We did hear the heartbeat again and it was SO much stronger than our last appointment. He set the Doppler on my slightly protruding belly (see the 1st of many belly pictures to come) and we heard the heartbeat immediately. Loud and fast. The first time we heard the heartbeat Dr. Spoon had to position the Doppler just right to hear the faint beat of the Bump's heart. And of course, it made us grin from ear to ear just to hear the signs that our little one is still progressing wonderfully.
My stomach has just started to round a bit...it does take some getting used to! Suddenly my favorite outfits are being pushed to the back of my closet...and also my favorite shoes!! Aaaahh!!! Y'all know how much I love my shoes. Yes, your feet do grow a bit during pregnancy so, not only does your wardrobe give you a 360 degree muffin top but your feet look like they have been stuffed into those great heels that you really don't want to give up! The greatest thing about that belly though, no matter how much you love those jeans, is that the bigger I get the more of a daily reminder I can see in myself that I have a miracle on the way. Each time you look at yourself in the mirror, there is a daily reminder..."Hi Mom, I'm in here" I just LOVE it!! Matt likes to pat the Bump and tells me daily how wonderful and beautiful I'm looking with my little belly...I love him for that every day :)
The Bump has had a big week this week...the rate of growth just seems to double every week. It is amazing! Our little one is now about 4 and a half inches long..about the size of an avocado...and although the Bump's eyes are closed they are slowly moving around. The heart is pumping 25 quarts of blood per day, circulating the total blood volume through its body a couple times a day. The patterning of the scalp is forming although the hair is not visible yet, we'll see if the Bump gets Matt's double cowlick! I can definitely feel the increase in growth because the ligaments and muscles on the sides and bottom of my tummy ache constantly. It feels like everything is stretching! In the next three weeks the Bump will double in weight and gain many more inches!
Hello Belly...Goodbye Feet!!

Hello 2nd Trimester!

Hello everyone and we're so happy to be announcing that we have entered our 2nd trimester feeling great! I'm beginning to feel sensations throughout the night in my stomach and it's such a strange feeling to begin realizing that soon I will be feeling kicks and flutters from The Bump's movements. The Bump is about three and a half inches long-about the size of a lemon-and its body is beginning to catch up to its tiny head, which up to this point has been much bigger than the body as you an see in the previous ultrasound pictures. The liver and spleen are functioning fully and The Bump has developed an ultra-fine downy covering all over its body....peach fuzz! The most amazing fact we learned this week is that the brain impulses affecting the facial muscles are working so normally that our little lemon is frowning, grimacing and squinting.
Matt laughs at me because each night our dinner is a surprise to him, whether he is craving something or not...whatever I may be craving on the way home usually wins! Monday night it was fajitas and oatmeal raisin cookies. Yum!! And I'm talking fajitas WITH oatmeal raisin cookies....together...the cookies didn't make it to dessert!
We are really hoping that this coming Monday at our 3rd prenatal appt that we may get lucky and find out the gender of The Bump. I just can't imagine the moment when we hear "It's A..." You know you'll hear all about it in our blog because if it's anything like seeing and hearing the heartbeat for the first time or taking home the first ultrasound pictures to show off our little addition, it will be amazing and one of the most memorable moments in our lives!
Love to you all and hope to have some new pictures for you all to see next week of The Bump....either sporting a football or ballet shoes! But let's be honest, even if we're having a girl she'll be wearing a jersey and pads when I leave her with Daddy!

13 Weeks and Counting!

What a great week! We are finally at the end of our first trimester and feeling happy, healthy, and just a wee bit bigger!

Matt has been keeping this last weekend a secret from me...telling me that he had a surprise date in store for me to celebrate the end of the first trimester! We also wanted to enjoy some time before Matt headed into knee surgery. My wonderful husband not only treated me to an amazing and romantic dinner at Ruth Chris' Steakhouse but it was followed by great seats at the Tim McGraw/Faith Hill concert at the MGM Grand Garden Arena. I'm so spoiled :) We had a blast and the couple sitting next to us proved the Chinese Calendar wrong!! We were chatting with them and the Chinese calendar was a positive that their little one on the way was a girl...and they ended up having a little boy! So, we'll see. Our prediction with the calendar is a girl...and of course we've been convinced the Chinese calendar is always right...well at least up until now!

The Bump is almost three inches this week..about the size of a jumbo shrimp. It's one of a kind fingerprints have formed...we're looking forward to all those tiny hand prints and finger painting...on the walls! The Bump has fully formed and most of the critical development period is over beginning this week...we feel so blessed and lucky to have not had any complications during the last three months. It is such a happy feeling that God has given us a healthy little addition to our family that continues to grow more and more every day....leaving Mom and Dad to enjoy the pregnancy with little worry! The Bump is continuing to swallow amniotic fluid but has now began to flush the fluid through fully functional kidneys. It's just amazing to us that all of this is going on in a tiny three inch miracle!

Matt had his 2nd knee surgery this morning to repair torn cartilage and he did wonderfully...we've got to get him rehabbed and back to 100% before the baby comes because we know that neither of us will be getting much rest at all! We hope you all are enjoying all of our updates. As we enter our 2nd trimester watch for kicks & belly flutters, the boy-girl question answered, and a bigger bump!